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THE CHRONICLES OF THE DAD HATTER:

About Me

I have loved fashion since I was old enough to wield a pair of scissors and start a collection of scrapbooks.I also love to write...hence this blog... about my take on fashion and trends and people in fashion and how I feel about them and it and...well,enough said.
But this isn't a fashion blog like any others as it isn't only about fashion. It is about having fun and laughing and having views and sharing them...as I share The Chronicles of The Dad Hatter with you...and he has absolutely Nothing to do with fashion!...but more to do with laughing. Get the picture?

Monday, 26 December 2011

Carlos sells "The Big Issue" magazine on Motcomb street, one of London’s classier streets, at least he was when I rushed passed him early December with a brief glance in his direction. He was juggling a magazine from one hand to another with a big old smile on his face that you simply couldn’t ignore ...along with the stomach clenching piercing in his ears... You know the one that makes a gaping hole in the earlobe and your stomach somersault?

Anyway, ignore him I did as I rushed passed with a barely a fleeting smile in his direction as I headed towards my local newsagent, berating myself for not having stopped once in there.

“Tell him you don’t read the Big Issue and give him a £1. Just so you know...he is a very talented photographer, he is planning an exhibition too. Ask him...he’ll show you some of his work.”So out I went, back towards the juggling Carlos.

"The Big Issue" is a weekly street magazine written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. The vendors purchase it for £1; sell it for £2, keeping a pound for themselves. This is an opportunity for them to earn a legitimate buck and reintegrate themselves into mainstream society.

I gave him a £1 and told him that I had heard that he was a photographer which he was visibly flattered by and as I turned to leave after our brief chat, he called out to me and handed me a couple of postcards of his work. I could have left and never seen what Carlos saw when he peered through his viewfinder and that would have been a doggone shame.Honestly? I don’t know what I was expecting... but what I wasn’t expecting was to actually like what I saw. More than that...I was taken in first by the haunting images before me and then the look of unadulterated pride on Carlos’ face when I told him so. With his permission, I have printed them here for all to see,enjoy them and visit his unpretentious site for more.

Moral of the Story: next time you rush by a seller of "The Big Issue" don’t render him invisible by your lack of interest or time... (which we are all guilty of doing). Once in a while stop.... you may even meet Carlos or another budding artist in the making.

I urge you to visit Carlos’ site and see for yourself; there is far more than meets the eye and what an eye he has.

www.carlosphotography.com

photo by Carlos Gonzalez Perez*copyright*

San Francisco:Photo printed with permission from Carlos Gonzalez Perez*copyright*